http://www.basicchristian.us/ Christian Information, Links, Resources and Free Downloads en-US Copyright &copy 2004-2008 David Anson Brown David_Anson_Brown@BasicChristian.org David@BasicChristian.org http://www.basicchristian.org/BCI_Logo5.jpg http://www.BasicChristian.org/ BasicChristian.us http://rss2pdf.com?url=http://www.BasicChristian.org/BasicChristian.rss Free Online RSS to PDF Generator. http://www.basicchristian.us/downloads/BasicChristian.pdf Basic Christian Full Content PDF Version 2008. The BasicChristian.org most complete resource. http://www.basicchristian.us/downloads/BasicChristian.CHM Possibly the best Basic Christian resource! Download it and give it a try! Includes the Red Letter Edition Holy Bible KJV 1611 Version. To download Right-Click then Select Save Target _As... http://www.basicchristian.org/churches.html Like the seven miracles that we went through in the Gospel of John that John himself personally witnessed, Jesus personally spoke to the disciple John and had John write an evaluation of the Christian Church in the book of Revelation. Likewise to critique the entire Christian Church (people) Jesus divided it up into seven churches. Each Church existed in the day that Jesus spoke to John about it and each Church type is still practiced throughout today. Note the book of Revelation and in particular the part about the seven churches is unique because Jesus is asking John to write it for Him. The entire Bible is written by God through man but Revelation makes that point even more evident. So onto the description of the seven churches as critiqued by none other than the resurrected Jesus Himself. ... The Parables of Jesus (Matthew 13:1-50) are from the teaching of Jesus during His time on earth. The letters of the Apostle Paul (New Testament) are from a representative of Jesus and finally the 7 letters of Revelation (Revelation 2:1-3:22) are teaching and instruction from the resurrected Jesus, the three teaching groups span three timeframes with the one unique message of Jesus Christ and His eternal Kingdom. http://www.basicchristian.us/downloads/Creation_vs_Evolution.pdf What is the significance and meaning of God's creation plan? Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven (sky) and the earth. It is only through creation and not by means of evolution that people can be "created in the image of God" therefore creation is the very heart of the plan of God. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image ... Either people are created and are therefore in the image of God making us capable of fellowship and able to have a relationship with God or we are involved in some random evolution process in a random universe that is without meaning and ultimately is totally meaningless. Revelation 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made (created) heaven, and earth ... http://www.ffmp3.org/ www.FireFighters.org Bible project audio and Text. http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/radio-show-episode.php?EpisodeID=5970 Topic One: Brannon went to see Ben Stein's movie Expelled and reveals what he liked about the movie and what shocked him. Topic Two: Brannon interviews Ray Comfort on his new book on 101 lies about the theory of evolution. Brannon and Ray also discuss the issues and problems facing the modern church. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/09/physics.nima/index.html Arkani-Hamed has had a hand in explaining how the world can operate according to Einstein's theory of general relativity, which describes the universe on a very large scale, and at the same time follow quantum mechanics, laws that describe the universe on a scale smaller than the eye can see. Some of the key mysteries that stem from these clashing theories include why gravity is so weak, relative to the other fundamental physical forces such as electromagnetism, and why the universe is so large. These issues come up because on an inconceivably small scale, the particles that make up our world seem to behave completely differently than one might imagine. http://www.40daysforlife.com/docs/transcript.pdf All of these things represent the kind of impact that happens whenever the people of God come out in a sustained and organized and prayerful ways make their presence known as the people of life. So this has been exactly what so many of the efforts of the pro-life movement are meant to accomplish. The abortion industry can’t do anything about this because what we’re utilizing here are completely peaceful and legal means. There is no way that the abortion industry can stop what’s happening here. It is coming from the very core of the movement which is in the churches. People are being motivated and are seeing the success of what happens when they stand firm and when they stand very publicly. People have talked to me about the impact that this has had in the various communities to which I travel. One of the things that’s very clear, it’s been clear to me for a long time, that people on the local level want to partake in something that is both local and also coordinated nationally at the same time. They just need guidance, encouragement, coordination. This is what they’re receiving in large measure through the 40 Days effort. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=108926 The reality is that fewer people are showing up in our churches to get even a watered-down Gospel because the age of attractional evangelism is rapidly dying, as recent research shows. It is not enough to throw the doors open and shout at the culture, "Come in." Gospel malpractice goes beyond the pulpit and is a trait of a complacent church that limits the mandate of the Great Commission to an invitation to come when we are clearly told to "Go!" ... I believe with every fiber of my being that the transformation of the church lies within the pages of the Bible. If individuals and churches are going to become effective incarnational witnesses in the culture, we must dig in. Paul, again to Timothy, says: "You have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:15-17). How my heart pleads with God to transform our churches to being training and equipping centers that send people out into culture to be Jesus' ambassadors. I'm not talking pious moralists who point people to their sins, but servants who through humility and loving relationships point people to an all-sufficient Savior. We must meet people in their context, but we must share the Gospel. Morality does not reconcile people to God; it comes through the Gospel of Christ. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=110698 Theologians and religious leaders who drafted the manifesto want to clarify the definition of the term "evangelical" and dispel the notion that evangelicalism is a political ideology. They argue that evangelicals need to reposition themselves in public life because the so-called "religious right" and "religious left" are "using faith to express essentially political points that have lost touch with biblical truth." ... The document calls on evangelicals to expand their concern "beyond single-issue politics, such as abortion and marriage" and denounces those who have "politicized faith" and, in effect, become "useful idiots" for one political party or another. It has been endorsed by a broad array of liberal and conservative religious leaders, but remains unsigned by many prominent evangelicals, Perkins among them. ... "Perkins is little more than one of the "useful idiots" to which the manifesto refers. For him and Dobson and some of the others to sign it would totally dilute its value, and personally, I think Dobson and Perkins and some of the others of that breed need to do some serious prayerful self-examination." ... "The "body of Christ" is made up of people who believe a certain way. The body of Christ must also exclude people who believe a certain way. Unfortunately, the church has developed practically an unrestricted open door policy. This was not the case in the early days of the church. We should take a stand for what it means to be Christian and evangelical." http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/08/in-defense-of-rino-hunting/ I had the honor of meeting Pat Toomey at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference a few weeks ago. He has the conservative vision and principle that so many feckless GOP officials in Washington lack. In a WSJ op-ed today titled "In defense of RINO hunting," Toomey puts liberal Republicans in his sights, names names, and takes no prisoners ... here’s the bottom line: A Republican majority is only as useful as the policies that majority produces. When those policies look a lot like Democratic ones, the base rightly questions why it should keep Republicans in power. As the party gears up for elections in the fall, it ought to look closely at the losses suffered under a political strategy devoid of principle. Otherwise, it can look forward to a bad case of (2006) déjà vu. http://www.chron.com/commons/persona.html?newspaperUserId=eljefebob&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3aeljefebobPost%3a340a9a96-c0fe-4ad3-9c84-6159124af8ba&plckCommentSortOrder=TimeStampAscending The joke going around now is that Obama's inaugaration ceremony will be delayed while network television covers Hillary's latest campaign stop for the nomination. While there is some truth to that bit of humor, it assumes two things: One, she won't drop out, which indications are starting to come out that she will after the last primary on June 3, and that Obama will win the general election against McCain, which is by no means a shoo-in. ... She'll pull out after a last ditch effort in the DNC Rules committee on May 31 to change the rules and seat Florida and Michigan, but that will fail. Even if it didn't, it's still not enough to claim she has the votes or the delegates. Even Russert is saying it's over: ... What next for Hillary? She'll push on for the next 3 weeks, negotiating behind the scenes to get her campaign debt paid off (to herself), to get a prominent speech in prime time at the convention, and probably some big plush Senate leadership position with attendent office and staff to go along with it. Then she will drop out. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/07/romney_faces_long_odds_in_bid_to_overtake_a_surging_mccain/ Mitt Romney, who prides himself on "wallowing in the data" before making tough decisions, now confronts an unforgiving mathematical landscape of delegate counts, polls, and popular vote tallies that suggest the odds are overwhelmingly against his presidential bid. John McCain's sweep on Super Tuesday of winner-take-all states in the Northeast and big states such as California gave him a commanding lead in delegates - 703 of the 1,191 needed to clinch the nomination, compared with 293 for Romney and 190 for Mike Huckabee, according to an Associated Press tally. ... McCain, meanwhile, is looking to cement his front-runner status, finish off his rivals before the March 4 contests, and start uniting the fractured GOP behind him. National polls of Republicans show McCain with a commanding lead, http://www.netgear.com/Products/Storage/ReadyNASPro/RNDP6310.aspx ReadyNAS™ Pro is the newest and most powerful member of the award-winning ReadyNAS product family. Designed for small and medium businesses, workgroups and home offices, ReadyNAS Pro delivers class-leading performance, ease of use, and robust features in a desktop small form factor chassis supporting 6 SATA channels and up to 6 TB of storage. This 6-bay gigabit network attached storage (NAS) appliance is packed with high-end server features, including RAID (redundant array of independent disks) levels 0, 1, 5, 6, and Auto-Expandable X-RAID2 support for data protection against disk failure, system monitoring capabilities and built-in backup. To ensure high availability to stored data, the ReadyNAS Pro features dual redundant Gigabit Ethernet ports for failover protection. ... The ReadyNAS Pro utilizes hardware-accelerated RAID to ensure full data redundancy without compromising the system performance. Incorporating Intel Matrix Storage Technology, the ReadyNAS Pro supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, and NETGEAR’s patent pending X-RAID2™, with hot spare capability. With RAID 6, the system ensures data integrity even with 2 simultaneous disk failures. The extra disk bays provided by the 6-bay ReadyNAS Pro makes RAID 6 and hot spares practical options worth considering to prevent any prolonged state in which the ReadyNAS data volume is left in an unprotected state. ... ReadyNAS Pro is a single centralized source for all of your digital data. The variety of computers and hard drives that currently house the data in your office and home can make locating a particular file quite arduous. ReadyNAS can bring all of that data together for fast and easy file serving to multiple clients simultaneously across the local network or via the Internet. http://www.intel.com/design/storage/raid6.htm Data protection is a growing concern for businesses of all sizes. Current solutions for data protection utilize Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology in a variety of implementations and form factors. RAID enables a bunch of disks to be treated as one large volume and also protects data from internal component failures by making copies of data and rebuilding lost or damaged data. The most popular RAID levels are 0, 1 and 5. ... What is RAID 6? RAID 6 is defined as additional disk drive failure tolerance provided by a second independent distributed parity scheme. RAID 6 offers another level of protection that has been in existence for some time, but has, until recently, been available almost exclusively in proprietary devices. By using additional parity calculations, RAID 6 can protect mission-critical data from two concurrent disk drive failures. With the growth of disk array sizes, increasing disk densities and the introduction of Serial ATA (SATA,) drives (said by some to have lower reliability) into the storage market, the likelihood for two concurrent failures is increasing. http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695276776,00.html Price also feels conflicted. She has family members who belong to the FLDS Church and has personally known some of its past leaders. "That fence is not a gated community. It's a fence to keep people in and others out," Price said. "There are very bad people in this community that have asked good people to do bad things and bad people to do bad things," she said, adding that many women, children and men have been victimized. "When I look at the long-term health of this community there's a lot of sorrow there. But I have to still have hope." ... Jessop recalls being appalled at Jeffs' alleged actions involving alcohol, which she said is allowed by many in the church but not in excess. She described some of his pregnant wives "self-medicating" with alcohol at his encouragement. "They had happy little drunk babies very often," Jessop said. "In my opinion, that was child abuse." ... Strict and unusual mandates involving the elimination of the color red and pets and historical literature from the community were also extremely troubling for Jessop, and she lost all respect for him. ... Price said that given the sheer numbers of children and the difficult behaviors of the parents, she's amazed that Texas officials have stepped to the plate to protect the children. "This is a huge expense and undertaking to them," she said. "But it's not unlike it was with Hurricane Katrina. You see the devastation, and you have to go in and do something about it." http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NmJmMDFkNjM4ZjJlZWJlMmNjYTMzODUwM2E5YTUzODM= Why does anybody trust George McGovern? He just turned on Hillary, rescinded his endorsement of her, endorsed Obama, and called on her to leave the race. And he does it after the Clinton family foundation gave $25,000 to support the McGovern Library and Center for Leadership and Public Service in Mitchell, South Dakota in early 2007. Ingrate. Remember the good old days when you could buy a politician, and they would stay bought? http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/13/report-carter-and-gore-to-team-up-against-clinton-to-end-her-presidential-bid/ Jimmy Carter and Al Gore are planning to call for Hillary Clinton to end her presidential run, according to an article published Sunday in a Scottish newspaper. ... the two politicians are teaming up because they believe it is in their party’s best interest to end the prolonged battle for the Democratic presidential nomination and unite behind Obama, who continues to maintain a lead over Clinton in number of pledged delegates. "They're in discussions," a source close to Carter reportedly told the newspaper. "Carter has been talking to Gore. They will act, possibly together, or in sequence." According to the report, the two party elders will either meet with Clinton privately to urge that she withdraw her candidacy or they will publicly endorse Obama in the hopes that more superdelegates will follow suit. Clinton still holds a lead over Obama in number of superdelegates. It is not known when Carter and Gore will make such an appeal to Clinton, but insiders say it is certain to happen, the newspaper reported. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/05/republicans_sti.html It's not clear yet whether the results are a real cause for concern for John McCain, but the presumptive Republican nominee still isn't exactly sweeping the primaries. In Indiana on Tuesday, McCain won 78 percent of the vote, while Mike Huckabee won 10 percent, Ron Paul won 8 percent, and Mitt Romney 5 percent. In that state's open primary, about 11 percent of voters in the Democratic primary were self-identified Republicans who crossed over. In North Carolina, the anti-McCain vote was ever higher. McCain drew 74 percent, Huckabee 12 percent, Paul 8 percent, and Alan Keyes 3 percent. Four percent of voters went to the polls and picked "no preference." In Pennsylvania two weeks ago, McCain also only won 73 percent of the vote. He effectively clinched the nomination after the March 4 primaries, which forced Huckabee from the race. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9159693 FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs has been placed under suicide watch in Arizona, where he awaits trial on charges of criminal incest and sexual assault. ... The 52-year-old Jeffs, head of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, earlier was convicted of rape-as-an-accomplice in Utah. http://www.olivetreeviews.org/articles/Jans_eUpdates.shtml#newsitemEkEppAkuAytksMsyaH Calling this "adventure" the "American Family Outing," Soulforce will enter Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen), The Potter's House (T.D. Jakes), Saddleback Church (Rick Warren), Willow Creek Community Church (Bill Hybels), Hope Christian Church (Harry Jackson), and New Missionary Church (Eddie Long). Again Soulforce has not been invited, but these churches aren't turning them away. Perhaps there is always the underlying hope that these colleges and churches can make a difference in the lives of Soulforce men and women. Soulforce states on its Web site that they wish to "begin a process of changing hearts and minds" in those churches and to educate the national public through the media on the issues of faith, family, and sexuality." A spokesman for Focus on the Family says, "These churches that have been targeted by Soulforce need to be clear about the real agenda. It's not for dialogue and greater understanding. It's to tempt them to embrace a false doctrine that will keep many from the gospel message of hope and transformation for those who are trapped in homosexuality." Stephen Bennett, a former homosexual, outlined their strategy and philosophy on my April 14 radio program. You can learn more about his excellent ministry to set the captives free here as well as learning more about the tactics of Soulforce reported on the program. Scripture warns us that in the last days there will be a great falling away and that wolves in sheep's clothing will try to enter the fold and deceive the very elect. While most consider that to be false teachers or programs in the church, now we see that it also includes organizations that storm their way in like the Nazi Gestapo, uninvited, and whose goal is chaos, confusion, and twisting the minds of the sheep. This alert is sent out mainly for prayer purposes. The Soulforce campaign runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, and is a great slap in the face to the traditional family. They will challenge what the Bible says, cause disruption and likely stand and turn their back to the preachers in the pulpit. Pray for wisdom for church leaders who will come under this oppression and for opportunities to share the true gospel with these men and women, even though they are hostile to all things biblical. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354293,00.html Phillips was on patrol when his unit engaged the Taliban. Not only did a firefight ensue, but his cell phone automatically called the Petee home, leaving a three-minute frightening message laced with the sounds of gunfire and panicked soldiers yelling for "more ammo." "His friend died a year ago in Iraq," Sandie Petee told KPTV, "and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, this may be the last time I hear my son's voice on the phone.'" To make matters worse, at the end of the heart-wrenching message, "you could hear a guy saying 'Incoming! RPG!' And then it cut off," Phillip's brother John Petee said. The Petee's were relieved when they were able contact their son, who is scheduled to return home next month at the completion of his tour. Phillip's only request? "Don't let Grandma hear the recording." http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto050520081526312445 Politicians fear loss of jobs and tax revenues when companies move their headquarters. But their moral indignation cuts little ice with multinationals whose ties with their home countries have diminished because of international expansion and cross-border mergers. ... Over the last decade, 6 per cent of multinationals have relocated, partly for tax reasons, according to research from Oxford University's Centre for Business Taxation. Companies competing with rivals based in lower-tax regimes are under pressure to cut their tax bills. Moreover, they are being wooed as never before by small countries keen to attract skilled jobs or create a larger tax base. UBS, the investment bank, predicts a "gradual erosion of governments' ability to tax". When Shire, the UK pharmaceutical company, announced its move to low-tax Ireland last month, Amit Kara, director of UBS, said: "This is the kind of tax competition we should expect. The pressure will remain on countries such as the UK to continue lowering corporation tax especially for the fleet-footed. The tax burden may shift to smaller companies." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258274,00.html MANAMA/HOUSTON - U.S. oil services firm Halliburton Co. (HAL) is moving its headquarters and chief executive to Dubai in a move that immediately sparked criticism from some U.S. politicians. Texas-based Halliburton, which was led by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995-2000, did not specify what, if any, tax implications the move might entail. It plans to list on a Middle East bourse once it moves to Dubai - a booming commercial center in the Gulf. The company said it was making the moves to position itself better to gain contracts in the oil-rich Middle East. "This is an insult to the U.S. soldiers and taxpayers who paid the tab for their no-bid contracts and endured their overcharges for all these years," said judiciary committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat. ... Halliburton has drawn scrutiny from auditors, congressional Democrats and the Justice Department for the quality and pricing of its KBR Inc. (KBR) unit's work for the U.S. army in Iraq. ... But Lesar told reporters: "At this point in time we clearly see there are greater opportunities in the eastern hemisphere than the western hemisphere." http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=63514 Opponents like Carlsson point out that each person drinks a different amount of water, meaning dosage cannot be controlled, and could become toxic for someone who drinks more water. Add to that variable the widespread use of fluoride toothpastes by the American public and the fact that much of the food supply is grown or raised using fluoridated water, and you can see the great potential for overdosing, they say. A study released in February by the Collaborative on Health and the Environments Learning and Development Disabilities Initiative found excessive ingestion of fluoride can decrease thyroid hormone levels. It also cited a recent Chinese study that links lower IQ levels in children with fluoridated drinking water. In 2006, the National Academy of Sciences found the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum standard for fluoride of 4 milligrams per liter could cause health problems such as dental fluorosis and weakened bones over a lifetime of consumption. The EPA's Headquarters Professionals Union, made up of scientists, lawyers and other professionals, also now opposes community fluoridation. http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=125071442445 Hello Everyone, We are Elizabeth Baptist Church in Bancroft, West Virginia and welcome you to our homepage on Sermon Audio. We (the members) at Elizabeth Baptist are very excited to be a part of such a wonderful Site. We give God Almighty all the praise, honor, and glory for being able to spread his Word. Please visit Our Sermon Audio Homepage: (www.sermonaudio.com/elizabethbaptist) and our internet Homepage : ( www.ghtg.org ) and also you can listen to Pastor Jeff on our Good hope through Grace radio broadcast live on www.wemmfm.com every Monday Evening at 7:30pm EST. Just click on the listen live icon in top left corner of the wemmfm website. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/05/polygamist.families/index.html The Bishop's List also reveals other interesting details. Most of the documents list the members' address as "R 17" -- shorthand for the Yearning for Zion Ranch. But on at least one family's document -- the Jacob H. Johnson family -- the address for Jacob's 22-year-old wife and infant daughter is listed as a "house of hiding." Investigators have not revealed where or what kind of house that might be. Also, some sect members have refused to tell investigators -- or said they don't know -- how old they are. Yet the documents in the Bishop's List seem to suggest that sect members do know their ages, and the ages of their children. Again, in the Johnson family record, one wife is listed as being "almost 28" while another is listed as being "almost 22." http://www.commentarymagazine.com/printarticle.cfm/1948--israel--and-the-palestinians-br--the-true-story-11355 What makes these Jewish efforts all the more impressive is that they took place at a time when huge numbers of Palestinian Arabs were being actively driven from their homes by their own leaders and/or by Arab military forces, whether out of military considerations or in order to prevent them from becoming citizens of the prospective Jewish state. In the largest and best-known example, tens of thousands of Arabs were ordered or bullied into leaving the city of Haifa on the AHC’s instructions, despite strenuous Jewish efforts to persuade them to stay. Only days earlier, Tiberias’ 6,000-strong Arab community had been similarly forced out by its own leaders, against local Jewish wishes. In Jaffa, Palestine’s largest Arab city, the municipality organized the transfer of thousands of residents by land and sea; in Jerusalem, the AHC ordered the transfer of women and children, and local gang leaders pushed out residents of several neighborhoods. Tens of thousands of rural villagers were likewise forced out by order of the AHC, local Arab militias, or the ALA. Within weeks of the latter’s arrival in Palestine in January 1948, rumors were circulating of secret instructions to Arabs in predominantly Jewish areas to vacate their villages so as to allow their use for military purposes and to reduce the risk of becoming hostage to the Jews. By February, this phenomenon had expanded to most parts of the country. It gained considerable momentum in April and May as ALA and AHC forces throughout Palestine were being comprehensively routed. On April 18, the Hagana’s intelligence branch in Jerusalem reported a fresh general order to remove the women and children from all villages bordering Jewish localities. Twelve days later, its Haifa counterpart reported an ALA command to evacuate all Arab villages between Tel Aviv and Haifa in anticipation of a new general offensive. In early May, as fighting intensified in the eastern Galilee, local Arabs were ordered to transfer all women and children from the Rosh Pina area, while in the Jerusalem sub-district, Transjordan’s Arab Legion likewise ordered the emptying of scores of villages. As for the Palestinian Arab leaders themselves, who had placed their reluctant constituents on a collision course with Zionism in the 1920’s and 1930’s and had now dragged them helpless into a mortal conflict, they hastened to get themselves out of Palestine and to stay out at the most critical moment. Taking a cue from these higher-ups, local leaders similarly rushed en masse through the door. High Commissioner Cunningham summarized what was happening with quintessential British understatement: You should know that the collapsing Arab morale in Palestine is in some measure due to the increasing tendency of those who should be leading them to leave the country. . . . http://www.learnons4c.co.uk/cards.php?oc=6 The Christmas Story: Queen, Elizabeth 1 decreed that a copy of the Bible in Welsh should be deposited in every church in Wales by Christmas 1588. The Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament, was translated by William Morgan, vicar of Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant in Clwyd at the age of 43. Morgan later became Bishop of Llandaf. http://forgodandulster.wordpress.com/2008/01/05/the-authorised-version-of-the-biblepurified-seven-times/ Although there were some attempts during the Old and Middle English period to translate portions of the Bible into English, the first complete Bible or New Testament in English did not appear until the fourteenth century. John Wycliffe (c.1320-1384) is credited with being the first to translate the entire Bible into English. It is to be remembered that no Greek or Hebrew texts, versions, or editions were yet fabricated. Wycliffe did his translating primarily from the only Bible then in use: the Latin Vulgate. He is often called the "Morning Star of the Reformation" for his opposition to ecclesiastical abuses and the Papacy. Wycliffe's New Testament translation was completed in 1380, and the entire Bible in 1382. William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536) has the distinction of being the first to translate the New Testament from Greek into English. He early distinguished himself as a scholar both at Cambridge and Oxford, and was fluent in several languages. Tyndale soon advanced both his desire and his demise, as seen in his reply to a critic: "I defy the pope and all his laws; if God spare my life, ere many years I will cause the boy that driveth the plough in England to know more of the Scriptures than thou doest." The Bible was still forbidden in the vernacular, so after settling in London for several months while attempting to gain approval for his translation efforts, Tyndale concluded: "Not only that there was no room in my lord of Londons palace to translate the New Testament, but also that there was no place to do it in all England, as experience doth now openly declare." Accordingly, Tyndale left England in 1524 and completed his translation of the New Testament in Germany. ... Although the Coverdale and Matthew Bibles were “set forth with the King's most gracious license,” the Great Bible was the first “authorized” Bible. Cromwell delegated to Myles Coverdale the work of revising the Matthew Bible and its controversial notes. In 1538, an injunction by Cromwell directed the clergy to provide “one book of the bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it." The completed Bible appeared in April of 1539. Although called the Great Bible because of its large size, it was referred to by several other designations as well. It was called the Cromwell Bible, since he did the most to prepare for its publication. It was also termed the Cranmer Bible, after the often reprinted preface by Cranmer beginning with the 1540 second edition. Several editions were printed by Whitechurch, and hence it was also labeled the Whitechurch Bible. In accordance with Cromwell’s injunction, copies of the Great Bible were placed in every church. This led to it being called the Chained Bible, since it was chained in "some convenient place within the said church." http://100777.com/node/list Winston Churchill is quoted as having once said: "Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth. Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if nothing had happened." Just as a bell that has been rung cannot be "unrung", the annoying problem with the Truth is that, once you learn it, you can not "unlearn" it. http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-blood-moon-scenario In the spring of 2015 Israel's religious year will begin with a total solar eclipse, followed two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover. And then six months later the sequence will repeat itself with a second solar eclipse on Rosh Hashanna followed two weeks after that by another total lunar eclipse on the Feast of Tabernacles, all in 2015. The last time anything like this happened was in 1967, when Jerusalem became an undivided Jewish city again, and before that there were several occurrences during the years of 1948-50, as Israel was becoming a nation. There were none at all in the 1800's, 1700's, or 1600's, and none in the 1500's that coincided with Feast Days. ... If these earlier Blood Moons did in fact announce the re-birth of the nation and the reunification of Jerusalem as it appears, then the next major step in Israels' journey toward the Kingdom is their national reunion with their Creator. This is the way Ezekiel saw it happening, and in my view is important enough to God to merit such a celestial announcement. After all He's been waiting to take them back for 2000 years. http://basicchristian.org/update.html Update: Churches are now substituting merchandising for tithing-giving and that is an out of order relationship in the Kingdom of God. Jesus has instructed the Church to give and His people to tithe-give. The Church was never intended to be a pay per each service rendered business. It's now easier to get advice, counseling, married and even get buried by non-Christians because it costs less and has fewer strings attached to it. The merchandising and marketing of Christian materials is not the intended plan for how a healthy Church is to function and by replacing the giving, serving model of God's Church with a merchandising Church model the Pastors are turning the Church into just another business and it is the business first - people second aspect of some ministries that offends so many people. Yes, in theory some Churches try to give some free product to the needy while mainly selling to others but here is a News Flash -- the entire world is needy! The world needs the grace and goodness of the free gift of God in their life. The false intentions of doing bigger and better things in the future with more money in the future is a lie from the Devil. The amount of money and the size of a project are not the main Christian criteria for the success of the project. Every Christian and Church should endeavor and strive to do their best right now with the resources and finances we now have. By merchandising the Church is sending the wrong message that God is to be bought and sold for a price and at a profit. Incorrectly implying that the ministry has some form of ownership to the Christian message they are distributing. ... It is important for people who receive something for free from a Church to know that someone else has cared enough for them to pay their bill in full in advance. Just as Jesus has already paid in full the bill for our sins and our death with His precious blood and His precious life on the cross. http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=63112 With virtually no fanfare, President Bush signed into law a plan ordering the government to take no more than six months to set up a "national contingency plan" to screen newborns' DNA in case of a "public health emergency." The new law requires that the results of the program – including "information … research, and data on newborn screening" – shall be assembled by a "central clearinghouse" and made available on the Internet. According to congressional records, S.1858, sponsored by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., was approved in the Senate Dec. 13, in the House April 8 and signed by Bush April 24. "Soon, under this bill, the DNA of all citizens will be housed in government genomic biobanks and considered governmental property for government research," said Twila Brase, president of the Citizens' Council on Health Care. "The DNA taken at birth from every citizen is essentially owned by the government, and every citizen becomes a potential subject of government-sponsored genetic research." http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/02/poll.americans/index.html WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The vast majority of Americans think things are going badly in the country, according to a new poll. Seven in 10 people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say things are going badly, with only 30 percent saying things are going well. "It's been 16 years since the public gave the country's condition such a bad rating: January 1992, to be precise, in the last year in office of the last president named Bush," CNN pollster Keating Holland said. "Seventy percent is a lot worse than two years ago, when 48 percent thought times were bad and the Republicans lost control of Congress," CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider added. http://www.sermonaudio.com/new_details.asp?ID=25522 J.I. Packer, one of the world's most renowned evangelical theologians, left the Anglican Church of Canada, citing "poisonous liberalism" in the church body. Packer, 81, who was named one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in the world by Time magazine in 2005, quit the Canadian arm of the global Anglican Communion with 10 other B.C. Anglican clergy last week, he said, according to The Vancouver Sun. They joined the more conservative and orthodox Province of the Southern Cone in South America. The Oxford-trained theologian said he can no longer serve under Vancouver-area Bishop Michael Ingham, arguing that he "appears heretical." Ingham had sanctioned in 2002 same-sex blessings in the British Columbia diocese of New Westminster, sparking international uproar. http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/02/news/economy/fed_credit_cards/index.htm NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Federal regulators are pushing ahead to stop abuses by credit card issuers at a time when the $2 trillion industry has come under increasing scrutiny. On Thursday, the Office of Thrift Supervision, responsible for overseeing the nation's savings and loans, endorsed a seven-point plan to tackle "unfair" and "deceptive" practices by companies that issue credit cards. The plan would allow consumers more time to pay their monthly bill. It would prevent companies from applying interest-rate increases retroactively to pre-existing balances. And it would ban "double cycle billing," a practice that computes finance charges based on previous billing cycles. "Today's proposal addresses practices that have raised concern about fairness and transparency," the office said. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/01/bush.poll/index.html WASHINGTON DC (CNN) -- A new poll suggests that President Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history. "No president has ever had a higher disapproval rating in any CNN or Gallup Poll; in fact, this is the first time that any president's disapproval rating has cracked the 70 percent mark," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director. ... The record-low support for the war in a CNN poll could be one reason behind the president's unpopularity, but it probably is not the only one. "Support for the war, the assessment of the economy and approval of Mr. Bush are all about the same -- bad," Schneider said. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/01/inquirer-guide-dollar-day “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on PR.” - Bill Gates. WITH THIS IN mind, The INQ is launching the Dollar a Day PR training course. Whoever coined this the Information Age was only half right. It’s actually the dis-information age. Now that technology has made us all naked, we need spin to cover ourselves up again. Journalists rarely make the news these days, it’s all PR driven, We all need to learn PR. But since UK firms charge you £600 a day, just to be serviced by a bloke so fresh out of college he’s still hungover – we’ve gone for a more ‘cost effective’ version. We’ve signed up for the Dollar a Day PR correspondence course. Each day, we'll share a dollar's worth of knowledge. http://www.truthnet.org/Tracts/Mormon/Mormonjesus.pdf Was Jesus married? According to the Bible, Jesus was never married, in fact the Bride of Christ is called the church in Ephesians and elsewhere in scripture (See Matthew 25:1-10, Revelation 19:6-14, 2 Corinthians 11:2) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Ephesians 5:25. However, the Mormon Jesus was not only married, but he was married to three women, two them being sisters. In addition to three wives, Jesus also had children he saw before he was crucified. Jesus also married Mary and Martha and the other Mary at Cana of Galilee, "Whereby he could see his seed, before he was crucified" (Apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, 4:259; 2:82) http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/30/polygamist.abuse/index.html (CNN) -- Investigators are looking into the possible sexual abuse of some of the boys taken from a polygamist sect's ranch in Texas and into how several children apparently suffered broken bones while there, officials said Wednesday. Suspicions of sexual abuse are based on interviews with the children and journal entries found at the Yearning For Zion ranch, the state's Child Protective Services agency said. The compound is owned by the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon offshoot that practices polygamy. ... "Several of these fractures have been found in very young children, and several [children] have multiple fractures," he said. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4679825&page=1 As the nephew of Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet of the polygamist compound in El Dorado, Texas, Brent Jeffs says that he knows all too well the misery and heartache of sexual abuse inside the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Brent Jeffs is nephew of "prophet" of fundamentalist sect in Texas. Brent Jeffs was a victim of rape and molestation at the hands, he says, of his uncle, Warren, who is currently imprisoned. In fact, it was Brent Jeffs who first filed charges of sexual assault against Warren Jeffs. "The entire cult, as I would put it, is run by complete fear. Everything they do is run by fear. They control the women and the children all by fear," Brent told ABC's John Quinones. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/28/flds.openness/index.html CNN -- It took an extraordinary event -- the state's seizure of more than 400 children -- for the polygamist Mormon sect to open its gates to outsiders after decades of seclusion. ... According to FLDS beliefs, you must be free from sin -- as with most Christian religions -- to get to heaven. Those deemed "wicked" go to hell until they atone for their sins, said Walsh, a mainstream Mormon doing post-doctorate studies at the University of St. Thomas-Houston in Texas. Those who aren't deemed wicked go to the "spirit world" to await the final judgment that dictates in which of the three levels of heaven they will reside for eternity. Everyone will eventually go to one level of heaven, Walsh explained, but to ascend to the highest tier, you must first learn certain lessons -- how to be a good parent and spouse among them. ... If you haven't learned the lessons you needed to learn on Earth, "you would have to learn these lessons in the spirit world" before entering heaven, he said. If your children are taken away, you may have to learn how to be a good parent in the spirit world, thereby postponing your passage to heaven, Walsh said. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352966,00.html SAN ANTONIO — Texas child welfare officials say more than half the teen girls swept into state custody from a polygamist sect's ranch have been pregnant. Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar says 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 were living on the ranch in Eldorado. Of that group, 31 already have children or are pregnant. ... Child welfare officials say there was a pattern of underage girls forced into "spiritual marriages" with much older men at the ranch. http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/sexual_assault/warren_jeffs/1_index.html Upon questioning, Issac Jeffs claimed that they had stayed for the evening in Las Vegas, which struck the officer by surprise considering the enormous amount of luggage in the car. However, what Dutchover found even more interesting was the behavior of the man in the back seat dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, nervously munching away at a salad. The man was so anxious that the vein in his neck was rapidly pulsating, prompting Dutchover to say, "You're making me nervous, is everything Okay?" even though he knew that something was terribly wrong, Ken Ritter reported for the Associated Press. ... Eventually, more troopers arrived at the scene and a search of the vehicle commenced. To their surprise they found envelopes, among other objects of interest, addressed to President Warren Jeffs, a notorious polygamist sect leader and fugitive listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. It was then that they began to put two and two together. Was it possible that the man in the back seat, who was at that point refusing to talk, was the infamous Warren Jeffs? The troopers didn't want to take any chances and they decided to call in the FBI to assist in the investigation. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352755,00.html SAN ANGELO, Texas — Children removed from a polygamist ranch in west Texas are settling into new surroundings around the state, and caretakers are getting cultural pointers on how to deal with them — such as no television, no movies, no radio and nothing red. "The color 'RED' is not acceptable for clothing," said a memo that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services sent to caretakers at shelters and group homes for the 462 children seized this month from the Yearning for Zion ranch after a tip about possible abuse. The ranch was established by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and sect members believe red is reserved for Jesus Christ, according to officials in Utah. http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/18/flds-escapee/ We were always told by Warren Jeffs when the dress and choices became more restrictive that is was a sign that “God loves you so much he wants you to be more like him.” (We believed Warren received direct revelations from God.) What we were losing were rights and any sense of control over our lives and all individuality. ... He had other complaints; he said she wouldn’t turn over the money she made to him and she wouldn’t fix his dinner. She also had stopped having sex with him because they only had one bedroom and she didn’t want to have sex in the same room with their kids. The prophet (Uncle Rulon) said she could lose her husband and her children if she didn't shape up. The threat to a woman is always that her kids will be taken away from her if she doesn’t behave. This woman’s husband bought her new pots and pans to make him dinner. She stayed for another six years before she finally found a way out of the FLDS. http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/catalog/OverstockClearance-Sale,264.aspx Special offers for USA online orders only! The availability of clearance items is not guaranteed. If an item included in your order is found to be out of stock when your order is processed, the item(s) will be removed from your order and you will not be charged. Sale prices expire May 31, 2008. Free Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed tickets will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. One ticket will be awarded for a $50 purchase with coupon. Recipients will be notified via email. Offers apply only to credit card purchases placed through our USA online bookstore. Please do not reply to this email. If you need help or have a question, please visit our help area. http://birdfreak.com/Birdfreak_Guide_Taking_Kids_Birding.pdf Kids are wonderful. They not only have the great capacity to learn, but they want to learn. Everything around them is new and exciting. Take a kid birding and you not only provide the opportunity to teach a child new things, but you afford yourself the opportunity to share in the same excitement of learning when nearly everything was brand new and interesting. This guide will provide a starting point to ensure you have a good time birding with a child (or children). By no means is this guide all inclusive, but it will certainly help enhance a child’s appreciation of nature, turn them into a birder, and provide future generations with the conservationists we so desperately need. Note: This guide is intended for kids aged 6 to 16. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/ajk2869.0001.001 Eimma (Emma), who discovered by accident this document, and finding it contained new doctrines (polygamy) which threatened to interfere with her domestic rights, attempted to destroy it; but the Mormons claim she was miraculously prevented, and the oracle is still preserved. Emma attempted, as a last resort, to poison the Prophet (Joseph Smith), and though she failed in that, she soon found sympathy and support among the disaffected within the (LDS) Church. ... The Prophet (Joseph Smith) fled across the Mississippi, to Iowa, and took refuge with the Indians. ... The Prophet's wife Emnma (Emma), stirred up the people by the story that the Prophet was a coward, and had forsaken his people. ... Emma, who wished to destroy the Prophet, wrote to him reproachfully, for his cowardice; and denouncing him as an impostor, and asked him to give a proof of his mission, by facing the enemies of the (LDS) church. This had the effect she had expected and desired. The Prophet returned to Nauvoo, and was arrested, with his brother Hiram, John Taylor, Willard Richards and others, and all were lodged in Carthage jail. ... A [Freemason] mob gathered at Carthage, on the 27th of June, 1844, and took the matter into their own hands. ... She (Emma) afterwards married a Gentile, and disavowed Mormonism. http://reddevnews.com/news/print.aspx?editorialsid=9802 Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, which will no longer be sold after June 30, seemed to get a reprieve of sorts when Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer made a quip at a press conference about relenting to customer feedback. However, one of Microsoft's official PR agencies denied the suggestion that XP would get a break from its scheduled end date. "Our plan for Windows XP availability is unchanged," read a statement issued by one of Microsoft's official PR agencies, as reported by a PCWorld article. "We're confident that's the right thing to do based on the feedback we've heard from our customers and partners." http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools. Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing. We issue a new desktop and server release every six months. That means you'll always have the the latest and greatest applications that the open source world has to offer. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352409,00.html Recent talks between former president Jimmy Carter and a militant leader failed to make much of a difference in Gaza, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Wednesday. Carter's meeting with exiled Hamas militant leader Khaled Meshaal, which drew anger from both the U.S. and Israel, did not produce a cease fire or prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, al-Malki told Agence France-Presse. "The only thing he achieved was permission on the part of Khaled Meshaal of Hamas to deliver a letter from a detained Israeli soldier to his family. Nothing else," al-Malki told AFP. Also on Wednesday, Carter stopped just short of saying that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was lying about warning him not to meet last week with Hamas leaders in Syria. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352333,00.html "President Carter has the greatest respect for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and believes her to be a truthful person," read a statement issued by the Carter Center in Atlanta. "However, perhaps inadvertently, she is continuing to make a statement that is not true." Carter has said that he met with Assistant Secretary of State David Welch, and that Welch told him it was not advisable to meet with Hamas. The former president maintains he was never told not to go. "No one in the State Department or any other department of the U.S. government ever asked him (Carter) to refrain from his recent visit to the Middle East or even suggested that he not meet with Syrian President (Bashar) Assad or leaders of Hamas," said the Carter Center, which often speaks on the former president's behalf. The statement said Carter tried to call Rice before making the trip and a deputy returned his call, since Rice was in Europe. ... Rice on Tuesday told a very different story. "I just don't want there to be any confusion," Rice told reporters covering her trip to Kuwait. "The United States is not going to deal with Hamas, and we certainly told President Carter that meeting with Hamas was not going to help" the current situation in the region. http://www.olivetreeviews.org/articles/Jans_eUpdates.shtml#newsitemEkplAZyZpFuXXfwVib There has always been a home and a refuge for the nation of Israel among evangelical Christians -- until recently. While there remain ministries and pastors who will stand with her, many are now bailing out on God's chosen people. The proof of this is illustrated starkly by the position of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), a ministry that since 1942 has been a voice for millions of Christians. It was originally created to be a conservative representation for Christians in contrast to the notoriously liberal National Council of Churches (NCC), which has always focused primarily on the social gospel instead of the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Some are asking if there's much difference between the two organizations, an issue that has arisen only in recent years. The following paragraphs may better explain that. Pro-Israel evangelicals aren't asking for much from the NAE. All they're asking for is that the organization make a statement that evangelicals as a body stand with Israel and her right to exist and defend herself. It's that simple. Such a statement need not come off as anti-Muslim/Palestinian as many fear -- or endanger missionaries working in Muslim countries. All believers have a concern for the plight of the Palestinian Christians. The NAE's response is that they wish to focus heavily on "creation care" (a euphemism for global warming). Richard Cizek, Vice President of Government Affairs with the NAE, has been in the news due to his strong stand on global warming. This has painted the entire NAE as a pro-man-made global warming organization. ... Israel may not be on the NAE's agenda, but she is on God's agenda. In the past the NAE has always been a friend of Israel, and proudly stated so. This stance has clearly been diminished very recently. You and your church may be represented by the NAE. If their position of silence against Israel troubles you, we encourage you to let them know! ... Don't just sound off but, in addition, constructively pray for NAE leadership, because the influence of the organization can be great and has been a positive influence that is sorely needed in a day of growing apostasy and leftist causes. When contacting them, do so in Christian love. To better understand this, visit our "Israel" category at my Web site. It also features pictorials in motion. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352277,00.html In his upcoming biography of Jesus, "Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven will make the shocking claim that Christ probably was the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Verhoeven also writes that Christ was not betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 original apostles of Jesus, as the New Testament states. ... Over the years, Verhoeven, who is Catholic and holds a doctorate in mathematics and physics from the University of Leiden, was a regular attendee of seminars by religion scholar Robert W. Funk, who died in 2005. Those seminars called into question miracles and statements attributed to Jesus. http://www.mysalvationsite.com/ MySalvationSite.com: Record your Testimony. Call the following number (214) 615-6044 ext. 2636 from a REGULAR PHONE (not a cell phone so we can get the clearest and best recording possible) and listen to the instructions. You have up to 40 minutes to give your salvation testimony. Let the Lord lead yoU...if it is only 5 minutes great, if it is 39 minutes great...however God leads you to speak, just speak and souls will be saved. ... We would like to thank you so much for your willingness to share your Personal Salvation Testimony on MySalvationSite.com. Your personal testimony of how you got saved will be used to help win souls for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Proverbs 11: 30 says "...he that winneth souls is wise." http://www.mysalvationsite.com/ It is about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who gives us the power through his shared blood and love that we have overcome sin and have the awesome opportunity to enter into a personal relationship with the Father through His son Jesus Christ forever. Please listen to one of the Messages of Salvation and accept Jesus Christ Today. God bless you. http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=0ee5f00e-e59b-433b-aaf3-f5da62771f76&k=65025 At least five Canadian women live in the fundamentalist Mormon compound in Eldorado, Texas, and their children may be among the 416 children now in protective custody. Teressa Wall Blackmore, who left the reclusive sect nearly two years ago, can name five young women sent from Bountiful, B.C. to marry American members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who are now living in Eldorado. Of the five, she says, two are married to FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs. Jeffs, who is said to have more than 80 wives, is in jail in Arizona, awaiting charges related to the forced marriage of under-aged girls. ... No one -- not Blackmore, Canadian government officials, B.C. Attorney-General Wally Oppal or the Texas authorities -- can say exactly how many underage Canadian mothers and children are in protective custody. Not only are Texas authorities having trouble determining how many Canadians there are, they can't figure out who the children's parents are. Many of the children don't know, won't say or are too young to answer the question, while some of the mothers have refused to say who the children's fathers are. This is not surprising since members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are taught to fear the government and even lie to officials, since the principal tenet of their faith is the outlawed practice of polygamy. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2286065,00.asp While the public's attention seems to be swinging toward Windows 7 (the next iteration of the OS)—a topic I'll address in the weeks ahead—the fact of the matter is that Vista remains. And it seems that the OS now has two distinct groups of users. One group happily uses Vista, with few concerns or complaints. In fact, many of them are baffled by all the grumbling. The other group is the fist-shaking Vista bashers who condemn each and every flaw the OS exhibits. The latter group is by far the most vocal and easily drowns out the former group. Its complaints stem from the anti-Microsoft backlash, which reflects dissatisfaction with the company's history, business practices, tactics, and bogus announcements. Much of the disgruntlement, however, can be attributed Vista itself—and the poor marketing job done by Microsoft. I mention the bogus announcements above because, at some point, you do get a little tired of Microsoft making exaggerated promises and then never coming close to delivering the goods. ... I could probably put another dozen items on this list. The point is that it's a big list already. With all the resources in the world at Microsoft's disposal, you have to wonder why the company cannot get everything right even once. http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=62214 JERUSALEM – Former president Jimmy Carter's "breakthrough" Hamas truce deal is actually nothing new. The terror group has been floating around the exact plan for two years now and will explain to anyone who asks that their 10-year truce offer is part of a strategy aimed at destroying Israel. Returning from four days of meetings with leaders of Hamas, a triumphant Carter announced today in Jerusalem his mediation efforts were successful - Hamas agreed to a 10-year truce in exchange for Israel withdrawing to what is known as the pre-1967 borders. "There's no doubt that both the Arab world and the Palestinians, including Hamas, will accept Israel's right to live in peace within the 1967 borders," Carter said, briefing reporters. ... Hamas spokesman Fawdi Barhoum clarified that in order for any truce to take effect, Israel would need to evacuate "every centimeter of the West Bank and every centimeter of east Jerusalem." No Israeli-Palestinian peace plans, even those drafted by extreme leftist Israeli parties such as Meretz, call for the Jewish state to evacuate the entire West Bank, citing security concerns for retaining some of the territory. Hamas spokesman in Gaza Sami Abu Zuhri said that as precondition for any Israeli-Hamas truce, the Jewish state must allow "all Palestinian refugees" to "return" to Israel. The "right of return" for millions of "Palestinian refugees" is a formula Israeli officials across the political spectrum warn is code for Israel's destruction by flooding the Jewish state with millions of Muslim Arabs, thereby changing its demographics. So in other words, Carter's truce boils down to Israel withdrawing to truncated, indefensible borders and accepting millions of foreign Arabs who will destroy Israel from within in exchange for a promise by Hamas to refrain from terror attacks. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=77010 Leading pro-Israel activist Jim Hutchens says former President Jimmy Carter is "alarmingly naïve" to claim the Palestinian terror group Hamas is willing to accept Israel as its neighbor. Former President Carter said today Hamas is prepared to accept the right of Israel to "live as a neighbor next door in peace." Carter's declaration comes after holding meetings with top Hamas officials in Syria last week. But Brig. Gen. Jim Hutchens (USA-Ret.), Washington-area director of Christians United for Israel and president of The Jerusalem Connection, International, says Carter's claim runs counter to everything the terror group has said publicly and states in its charter documents. "Which is the replacement, if you will, or the dissolution of the modern state of Israel," the retired Army chaplain explains. "I would look with great skepticism on this. I think that it's not something that we should attempt to make any kind of foreign policy changes on." And as well, it is something that that former president has done "in his own sense of good will," Hutchens adds. "But he is alarmingly naïve, it seems to me." http://www.rense.com/general32/americ.htm You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As you read this, 39 years later, you should be shocked by the events that have played themselves out. ... Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41751 Every day, the headlines scream with some new threat from the American Civil Liberties Union. I believe it's important to look behind the curtain and discover the origins of groups and organizations to better understand their activities. The ACLU was founded in the 1920s by Roger Baldwin and Crystal Eastman, described as a "progressive" and "the perfect feminist." For the past few decades, the ACLU has been on a major crusade to destroy Christianity in America, promote filth under "freedom of speech and expression," and of course, vigorously defend the homosexual culture of death. On Jan. 10, 1963, Congressman Albert S. Herlong Jr., D-Fla., read a list of 45 communist goals into the Congressional Record. Below are the communist goals being implemented by the ACLU in their quest to destroy America's culture and traditions: Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/20/polygamy.sect/index.html SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- The Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union said it was concerned that the basic rights of the children and mothers connected to a Texas polygamist ranch were violated during a recent raid and custody hearing. The ACLU said it had a representative at the court hearing and the organization was concerned about human rights violations. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351922,00.html MOSCOW - A Moscow court on Monday sentenced a U.S. pastor to more than three years in prison for smuggling hunting ammunition into Russia. Phillip Miles, from South Carolina, has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 3. He was arrested several days after customs agents at a Moscow airport found a box of 20 rifle shells in his luggage. The court sentenced him to serve three years and two months in prison, with the sentence calculated from his detention date. Miles has said he brought the .300 caliber cartridges for a friend who had recently bought a Winchester rifle. He said he did not know bringing such ammunition into Russia was illegal. Judge Olga Drozdova accepted in her 20-minute summation that Miles had brought the ammunition for a friend, "as they are both inveterate hunters." ... "I'm very disappointed. It's a strange sentence for one box of hunting bullets," he said as court bailiffs led him in handcuffs from the courtroom cage, where defendants in Russian criminal courts are held during trial. His lawyer said the sentence was surprisingly severe. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/21/polygamist.retreat.ap/index.html SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) -- More than 400 children taken from a polygamous sect's ranch will undergo DNA testing this week, an attempt to determine who their parents are and if any sexual abuse took place. ... Three male members of the sect said in an interview aired on CBS's "Early Show" Monday that they would cooperate in DNA testing if it would help them get the children back. "Whatever we need to do to get them back in their peaceful homes," a man identified as "Rulan" said. State prosecutors have argued that the FLDS church encourages underage marriages and births, subjecting children to sexual abuse or the imminent risk of abuse. "Rulan" said sect members are reconsidering whether girls under 18 should have sex with adult men. http://www.frugalvillage.com/ Noel is frugal - not cheap - and applies common sense in cost-cutting endeavors. The primary focus is simplifying busy lives. Noel’s professional background includes special event planning, floriculture and buying and selling antiques and collectibles. Her degree in business and her entrepreneurial spirit led her to found, edit and publish a network of lifestyle and shelter Web sites more than seven years ago that serve as guides to achieving balanced and gracious living. http://www.frugalvillage.net/ Frugal living can be a way to reach a financial goal, but it's also a way to make it through a rough patch. It offers you a way to prepare, conserve resources and survive. The following reader tips can help you plan for tough times. http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/21/news/economy/moms_foodshopping/index.htm NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As American families face the double whammy of higher gas and food prices, moms nationwide are resorting to considerable ingenuity to stretch their monthly grocery budget. For instance, Christina Pond of Arlington, Texas, makes her own detergent. Pond, 26, a stay-at-home mom with an almost 8-month old daughter, does four loads of laundry every other day. "Detergent is very expensive, so I make my own," she said. She grates natural soap, boils it, adds Borax, baking soda and essential oils, and lets it cool overnight. "I make five gallons at a time," she said. http://www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b7a766d0-77cc-4c67-bbb1-7466cd9ca501 For the first time ever, high-ranking members of the LDS Church have participated in a prayer service with the Pope. ... Catholic leaders described the visit as coming out of a growing respect between Catholics and Mormons. http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSL0218416820070204 PARIS (Reuters) - Pope Benedict was baptized at birth and will most likely be baptized again one year after his death, not by his Roman Catholic Church but by a Mormon he never met. The Mormons, a U.S.-based denomination officially named the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), encourage members to baptize the dead by proxy in the belief they are helping the deceased attain full access to heaven. ... This has outraged Jews and baffled Christians who see it as usurping the memory of their departed relatives. The (LDS) Church says it cannot stem the tide of dead baptized in its own temples. ... So Benedict looks set to join his predecessor John Paul and a centuries-long list of popes Mormons have baptized -- despite the fact that he, back when he was the Vatican's top doctrinal authority, ruled that Mormon baptisms were not even Christian. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07051409.html Catholic Charities of Boston and Same-sex Adoptions: ... Romney denied he had authority to grant a unilateral exception as governor, although the Department of Early Education, which regulates adoption agencies, announced in April 2006 the agency wouldn't take action against Catholic adoption organizations in Worcester, Fall River and Springfield which refused to consider homosexuals on religious grounds until the legislature decided on Romney's exception bill. Romney's statement that homosexuals have a "legitimate interest" in adoptions, however, was greeted in the Boston press with cynicism and derision, because Romney had been campaigning among Republicans at the time stressing the right of children to have "a mother and a father." ... Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, All Counterfeit Marriage: "From day one I've opposed the move for same-sex marriage and its equivalent, civil unions." Although Romney, has opposed same-sex "marriage", his repeated statements about his support for civil unions is not entirely accurate. Romney did in fact previously support the idea of civil unions under the name of domestic partnerships to protect "non-traditional couples". Concerned Women for America's Matt Barber told LifeSiteNews.com that domestic partnerships in fact are civil unions, just worded differently. "They provide all the rights and responsibilities associated with marriage, just in order to appease people who would oppose homosexual marriage, they have removed the word 'marriage' and have redefined it as domestic partnerships, civil unions" Barber told LifeSiteNews.com. "They're all counterfeit marriage." http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=19017 The issue has been a hotly contested one for sometime here causing eight members of the agency's board of directors to resign on Ash Wednesday, March 1, in protest over a decision by the Massachusetts bishops to seek an exemption from state licensing requirements that Catholic agencies must facilitate adoptions by same-sex couples. The bishops of the four Catholic dioceses in Massachusetts said in a Feb. 28 statement that if Catholic agencies were required to help same-sex couples adopt children in violation of church teaching prohibiting the practice it would present "a serious pastoral problem" and threaten religious freedom. "We are asking the commonwealth to respect the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and allow the Catholic Church to continue serving children in need of adoption without violating the tenets of our faith," the bishops said. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/20/pope.visit/index.html NEW YORK (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI concluded his six-day visit to the United States with a final address Sunday, thanking Americans for their hospitality and calling on people worldwide to pursue "justice and peaceful coexistence." "It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here," the pontiff told a cheering crowd of more than 3,000 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday night. "It was heart-warming to spend time with leaders and representatives of other Christian community and other religions." The pope was introduced by Vice President Dick Cheney, who said, "It's been a memorable week, and Pope Benedict XVI has stepped into the history of our country in a very special way." "You've encountered a nation facing many challenges but with more blessings than any of us could number," Cheney told the pope, adding later, "You will always be welcome." http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/20/pope.visit/index.html NEW YORK (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI called on American Catholics to understand that "real freedom" means surrendering to the will of God, in an address to an enthusiastic crowd of 60,000 Sunday at New York's Yankee Stadium. He also called on his flock not to lose heart "in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal," and encouraged followers to reject "a false dichotomy between faith and political life." ... Looking at the crowd filled with people of all ages, the pope had a message for those who could become the church's future leaders. "Young men and women of America, I urge you: Open your hearts to the Lord's call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life. Can there be any greater mark of love than this: to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to lay down his life for his friends?" http://www.archive.org/details/KurtRothChurch011406mp3 This item is part of the collection: Ourmedia. http://www.archive.org/details/KurtRothChurchTheCross12106mp3 This item is part of the collection: Ourmedia. http://www.buzzplant.com/illustra/ecard2/ In 1859, Charles Darwin published, On the Origin of Species. In it, he argued that all of life on earth was the product of undirected natural processes. Time, chance, and natural selection. Since Darwin, biologists have relied on such processes to account for the origin of living things. Yet today, this approach is being challenged as never before. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j7CMHl_nRqEaAwSLE_odoujTS4FgD9054HJO0 NEW YORK (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI focused on the future of his American church Saturday as he marked the third anniversary of his election as pontiff, rallying young people, priests and seminarians and assuring them of his support as they dealt with the damage from the clergy sex abuse scandal. On a highly personal day, he spoke of his own "spiritual poverty" and said he hoped to be a worthy successor to St. Peter, considered the first pope. Benedict began the day with a Mass at St. Patrick's cathedral, the landmark Roman Catholic church on Fifth Avenue. The building was packed with cardinals ands bishops, priests and nuns, who cheered him to mark the day he succeeded Pope John Paul II on April 19, 2005. The German-born pope lamented that what he called "the joy of faith" was often choked by cynicism, greed and violence. Yet he drew an analogy to show how faith can overcome distractions and trials. "The spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral are dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline, yet in the heart of this busy metropolis they are a vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God," he said. In America in particular, he has said repeatedly, the religious intensity stands out in marked contrast to the tepid spiritual emphasis in his native Europe. That makes the U.S. a testing ground for him in his bid to counter secular trends in the world. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/19/pope.sat/index.html NEW YORK (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI again addressed the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal, assuring priests, nuns and other religious of his "spiritual closeness" as they recover from the scandal's damage. "I have already had occasion to speak of this, and of the resulting damage to the community of the faithful," he said at Saturday's Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. "I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and religious community, and a time for healing. I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue." Speaking at a prayer service with U.S. bishops Wednesday in Washington, Benedict said the sexual abuse of children by priests has caused a "deep shame" and called it "gravely immoral behavior." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351678,00.html Beghe has more to say, and a longer video, some of which we’ll see here next week. The more he describes the Scientology experience, the scarier it sounds. As he told me the other day: "A Scientologist who's 'clear' believes he's no longer a Homosapien. He's Homo-novis, a new race. They believe they are the only hope for this section of the galaxy, starting with planet Earth." Yes, Tom Cruise and John Travolta evidently believe this, Beghe says. And, yes, Beghe did confirm with me what he's talked about on the videos: All Scientology sessions are taped. Every one of them, including those of Cruise, Travolta and all celebrities. Does Beghe care if his tapes ever get out? "Hell, no," he told me. "They won't do that anyway because then the whole thing comes out and everyone knows there are tapes. They can't do anything with them."Beghe also told me that one possible theory for why the careers of Scientologists tend to go south is that the famous actors, such as Jenna Elfman or Juliette Lewis, "get so involved in thinking only they can save the world" that the sect overwhelms them. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/17/romney-i-could-have-won-with-a-few-more-osmonds/ 300 Comments: ... actually pretty funny, but obviously we should all be able to see that Mr. Mitt did the Dem's a favor. he forcasted a preview into some of the Repub's attack points in the fall. But still, pretty funny. I wonder if Mitt was ever living in one of those polygamist camps though, he kinda has that Warren Jeffs look about him. ... You're not funny, Mitt. Stick with what your good at, being an empty void to be filled with lies and political tactics. ... That's almost as hilarious as the amount of money you wasted on your campaign, Mit. ... Mormon trash. I'm glad he dropped out, we don't need something as vile as a Mormon in the White House. ... Very funny. I don't know what it is, though, that makes me uncomfortable about him and why I couldn't vote for him. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/18/national/main4027694.shtml (CBS/AP) More than 400 children taken from a ranch run by a polygamous sect will stay in state custody and be subject to genetic testing, a judge ruled Friday. State District Judge Barbara Walther heard 21 hours of testimony over two days before ruling that the children be kept by the state. Individual hearings will be set for the children over the next several weeks. She ordered that all children and parents be given genetic testing. Child welfare officials have said they've had difficulty determining how the children and parents are related because of evasive or changing answers. Earlier in the day experts for the state testified at the custody hearing for the youngsters, saying girls in the west Texas polygamous sect enter into underage marriages without resistance because they are ruthlessly indoctrinated from birth to believe disobedience will lead to their damnation. http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/18/flds-escapee/ That (1953) raid is a focal point in FLDS history. Arizona officials raided the polygamist community and tried to break it up. But they failed when wrenching pictures of mothers being separated from their children were published in newspapers and there was a huge public outcry. But the raid turned out to be a huge plus for the FLDS because so much sympathy was generated. After the court case was tossed out, people came home and continued the polygamist lifestyle but became even more secretive. That’s when the clothing changed drastically for women—but it wasn’t the only thing. Women lost a lot of rights in 1953. They no longer had any say in who they could marry nor could they choose how to dress. The way this was spun was that since the community had come through the raid so successfully, it was now ready to practice a higher form of God’s law. God is always the explanation when things get more restrictive; change is presented as a prize for being righteous and faithful. We were always told we were worthy of a higher law. ... We were always told by Warren Jeffs when the dress and choices became more restrictive that is was a sign that "God loves you so much he wants you to be more like him." We believed Warren received direct revelations from God. What we were losing were rights and any sense of control over our lives and all individuality. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/17/polygamy.pentagon/index.html NEW YORK (CNN) -- The U.S. government paid more than $1.7 million in defense contracts over the last decade to companies owned by leaders of Warren Jeffs' polygamous sect, with tens of thousands allegedly winding its way back to Jeffs and his church. In fact, some of the deals were made after Jeffs was named to the FBI's "Most-Wanted List" and remained in place while he was on the run. ... "It was my understanding that Western Precision was paying roughly $50,000 a week into the coffers of the (FLDS) church," former sect member Richard Holm said. "It would have been close to $200,000 a month." ... "During 2003, the amount being sent to the storehouse and the FLDS was around $100,000 per month," John Nielsen said in the October 26, 2005, affidavit. "I have personal knowledge that checks sent to the FLDS Church/Warren Jeffs by [Western Precision] are payable to the FLDS Church and/or Warren Jeffs." ... What might taxpayers think of it all? "They're just going to shake their head and say here's another example of our tax money going down the drain to support this polygamist in Texas who abuses children and women," Maginnis said. "They'll be appalled and rightly so." http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/17/polygamy.custody/index.html SAN ANGELO, Texas (CNN) -- A child protection supervisor testified Thursday that she encountered several pregnant teen girls at a polygamist ranch who called each other "sister wives" and who believed it was acceptable to be "spiritually united" with a man at any age. "It was the belief that no age was too young to be married," said Angie Voss, a supervisor for investigation at Texas Child Protective Services. ... Boys were also removed from the ranch, Voss testified, because "I believe that the boys are groomed to be perpetrators." "I was concerned," Voss said of her visit to the ranch. "It was a scary and intimidating environment. I was afraid. I saw men all over." She said she saw men in a guard tower looking down on them as they entered the ranch, and men escorted the women to the schoolhouse for the interviews. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~chevaud/dutoit/images/reuben.pdf ANALYSIS OF FIFTEEN YEARS AMONG THE MORMONS: From the beginning, Fifteen Years among the Mormons raised issues of credibility. Some of its allegations about Mormon leaders and religious practices would have been considered by many Americans of that time to be immoral, or criminal, or both. The press seemed eager to find someone whose credentials would prove the case against the Mormons. But Fifteen Years among the Mormons was certainly not the last word on this subject, and far more serious charges would soon appear. Labeled by Mormons as “lies” or a “hopeless mixture of fact and fiction,” the book is still quoted occasionally by anti-Mormons. One of the earliest notices of the publication of Fifteen Years among the Mormons appeared in The New Englander and Yale Review, which remarked, “if only a tenth part of her story is true, language cannot express the degradation of the people in Utah.” http://name.umdl.umich.edu/ajk2869.0001.001 Mormonism: its rise, progress, and present condition. Embracing the narrative of Mrs. Mary Ettie V. Smith, of her residence and experience of fifteen years with the Mormons ... together with the speech recently delivered before the "elders" in Utah, by Vice President Schuyler Colfax, and the answer of John Taylor./ By N.W. Green. Green, Nelson Winch. Hartford: Belknap & Bliss, 1870. http://www.basicchristian.us/downloads/Christian_vs_Mormon.pdf The FLDS is an offshoot of the Mormon LDS. The LDS officially doesn't claim the FLDS however they also officially do not oppose them. It seems that the LDS is secretly furthering the FLDS and does approve of their polygamy as No or Few polygamist are investigated or brought up on any charges even though polygamy is rampant in Utah and now is gaining a foothold in the neighboring states of Arizona and Colorado and in other states like Texas. The LDS does want to return to the polygamist ways of their founder Joseph Smith but the LDS does not want to lose their tax exemptions over it like they almost did in the 1800's when they were forced by the government to end polygamy. The LDS is trying to wear down the public to legally introduce their "Big Love" version of polygamy and the FLDS is their main tool to accomplish a legalized polygamy. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/16/polygamy.escapes/index.html CNN) -- Long after she escaped a polygamist Colorado City, Arizona, community in 1986, Flora Jessop found another way to escape -- cocaine. "It killed the pain. It killed the hurt," she said. "I didn't have to hurt so bad because I missed everything I knew." Once she fled the fundamentalist Mormon sect, she was an apostate. She believed God hated her. Her parents and siblings thought she was wicked. Worst of all, she knew she was damned to hell, Jessop said. Jessop, then 17, began hitchhiking across the country, almost killed herself with cocaine, worked as a topless dancer and eventually became pregnant, she said. Fearing church members would hunt her down, she looked over her shoulder for five years, she said. She occasionally drank alcohol during that time -- she liked tequila best -- but preferred to use cocaine because it kept her alert. "When you're running for your life, you can't afford to get to the point you cannot run," she said. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351450,00.html Several women from the polygamist retreat raided more than a week ago defended their lifestyle Wednesday in an exclusive interview with FOX News, calling it "a wonderful pure life," and saying government officials deceived them when they raided the ranch where they live. ... Janet told FOX News that they strive to live "pure, virtuous lives" at the ranch, though she admitted her husband has more wives than just her. ... The search revealed that a soaring white limestone temple at the ranch held a bed where officials believe underage girls were required to consummate their spiritual marriages to much older men. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351542,00.html Former President Jimmy Carter met another top Hamas official Thursday in a Cairo hotel, FOX News has confirmed. In advance of Carter's planned meeting Friday with Hamas chief Khaled Meshal, 30 congressmen introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas for terrorist activities, including the murder of 26 Americans. Both the United States and Israel have designated Hamas a terror organization and refuse to negotiate with it. The resolution, sponsored by Reps. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., is intended as a warning shot at Carter and follows letters from more than 50 congressmen urging the former president to abandon his visit to the Hamas head, who lives in exile in Syria. In the face of such criticism, Carter traveled to Cairo to meet with Mahmoud Zahar, who controls Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Zahar wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post Thursday decrying the "hideous straitjacket of apartheid" in Gaza and compared Israel to Nazi Germany. http://www.hooper-home.net/TEMPLE/INTRO~11.HTM After Joseph's brothers sold him into Egypt, Ephraim and Manesseh replaced Joseph, so another tribe - a thirteenth tribal division was introduced into the nation. Subsequently, men from the tribes of Ephraim and Dan were disobedient to God because of their involvement with a person called Michah; they introduced idolatry into Israel. Michah had 1100 shekels of silver with which to make a graven image to God. This was against one of the rulings of law of the Ten Commandments given to Moses from God. The record of these events is given in the book of Chronicles, Chapters 17 and 18. ... In Deuteronomy 29.18-20 God said that if any man, woman, family or tribe which should introduce idolatry into Israel, He (God) would "blot out his name from under heaven". Is this why the names of Ephraim and Dan do not appear in the list of tribes in the Book of Revelation? The name of the tribe of Ephraim has become obscure amongst the tribe of Joseph. Whilst God has blotted out the "names" of Ephraim and Dan, has He rejected the descendants of Ephraim and Dan as persons, as well as their names? By including the tribe of Joseph in the New Testament Revelation record, it is implied that the tribe of Ephraim is included because both Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph who replaced Joseph as a tribe in the Old Testament. But what about Dan's descendants? http://www.ils.unc.edu/~unsworth/mormon/danites.html [This "Danite Pledge" is classic LDS Mormon stupidity – using the name of Jesus to swear an oath, a blood oath no less. Jesus forbid his followers from taking oaths - James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath:] Danite Pledges: "In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I do solemnly obligate myself ever to conceal, and never to reveal, the secret purposes of this society called the Daughters of Zion. Should I ever do the same, I hold my life as the forfeiture." ... "I married Jesse Hartly, knowing he was a 'Gentile' in fact, but he passed for a Mormon, but that made no difference with me, although I was a Mormon, because he was a noble man, and sought only the right. By being my husband, he was brought into closer contact with the members of the Church, and was thus soon enabled to learn many things about us, and about the Heads of the Church, that he did not approve, and of which I was ignorant, although I had been brought up among the Saints; and which, if known among the Gentiles, would have greatly damaged us. I do not understand all he discovered, or all he did; but they found he had written against the (LDS) Church, and he was cut off, and the Prophet required as an atonement for his sins, that he should lay down his life. Th